Market sizing
50 market sizing questions for case interviews
Market sizing questions, also called guesstimates, show up in almost every consulting first round and in many finance and product interviews. Every question below is about the United States, with the exact scope an interviewer would give you. Work each one out loud, then practice it on MECE: the AI interviewer pins down your assumptions, and every answer gets an arithmetic check plus a worked estimate.
Warm-up (easy)
How many gas stations are there in the United States?
Scope: Count retail fuel stations open to the public in the US today. Exclude private fleet depots.
~10 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many pizzas are sold in the US each year?
Scope: Whole-pizza equivalents sold per year in the US: restaurants, delivery and frozen.
~10 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow much ad revenue does the network earn from the Super Bowl broadcast?
Scope: National in-game commercial revenue for the game broadcast itself (exclude pregame).
~10 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many pet dogs live in the United States?
Scope: Pet dogs in US households today.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many tickets does the NFL sell in a regular season?
Scope: Total attendance across all NFL regular-season games in one season.
~8 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many school buses are there in the US?
Scope: Yellow school buses in operation in the US.
~10 min · Accenture Strategy-style
Practice this questionHow many hot dogs do Costco food courts sell in the US each year?
Scope: Hot dog combos sold at US Costco warehouse food courts per year.
~10 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many turkeys do Americans eat on Thanksgiving?
Scope: Whole turkeys cooked for Thanksgiving in the US.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many electric vehicles are sold in the US each year?
Scope: New battery-electric passenger vehicles sold in the US per year.
~8 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow much do Americans spend on Halloween costumes each year?
Scope: Annual US spend on Halloween costumes for people and pets.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many burgers do Americans eat each year?
Scope: Hamburgers and cheeseburgers eaten in the US per year, at home and away.
~8 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionHow many weddings take place in the US each year?
Scope: Marriages (weddings) in the US per year, first marriages and remarriages.
~10 min · Accenture Strategy-style
Practice this questionHow many 12-ounce servings of soft drinks do Americans drink each day?
Scope: Carbonated soft drinks (cans, bottles and fountain) per day in the US, in 12-oz servings.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many piano tuners work in the United States?
Scope: People who tune pianos professionally, full-time equivalent.
~10 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many real Christmas trees are sold in the US each year?
Scope: Real (cut or potted) Christmas trees bought in the US per year.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many rolls of toilet paper do Americans use each year?
Scope: Standard-size toilet paper rolls used per year in the US (homes and away from home).
~8 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many birthday cakes are sold in the US each year?
Scope: Store-bought or bakery birthday cakes (not homemade) purchased per year in the US.
~8 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow much ticket revenue does a Major League Baseball team make in a season?
Scope: Regular-season ticket revenue for an average MLB team.
~8 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionHow many Americans go to a gym on a typical weekday?
Scope: People visiting a gym or fitness club in the US on an average weekday.
~8 min · Accenture Strategy-style
Practice this question
Interview-level (medium)
How many cups of coffee does Starbucks sell in Manhattan on a weekday?
Scope: All drinks sold by Starbucks stores in Manhattan on an average weekday.
~12 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many golf balls are sold in the US each year?
Scope: New golf balls sold in the US per year (retail and pro shops).
~12 min · L.E.K.-style
Practice this questionHow many public EV charging ports are there in California?
Scope: Public Level 2 and DC fast-charging ports (connectors) in California today.
~12 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many packages does Amazon deliver in the US on an average day?
Scope: Amazon packages delivered to US homes and businesses per day, all carriers.
~12 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionEstimate the annual US market for dog food and treats in dollars.
Scope: Annual consumer spend on dog food and treats in the US.
~12 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many iPhones are sold in the US each year?
Scope: New iPhones sold in the US per year.
~10 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionHow many passengers depart from JFK airport on an average day?
Scope: Departing passengers (including connections) at New York JFK on an average day.
~12 min · Oliver Wyman-style
Practice this questionHow many hair salons and barbershops are there in the US?
Scope: Establishments offering haircuts (salons and barbershops) in the US.
~12 min · Kearney-style
Practice this questionHow many nights are booked on Airbnb in the US each year?
Scope: Nights booked at US Airbnb listings per year.
~12 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionWhat is the annual revenue of a typical Chick-fil-A restaurant?
Scope: Annual sales of an average free-standing Chick-fil-A (closed Sundays).
~12 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many pairs of running shoes are sold in the US each year?
Scope: Pairs of running shoes sold in the US per year, whether used for running or not.
~12 min · L.E.K.-style
Practice this questionEstimate the size of the US wedding market in dollars.
Scope: Annual spend on weddings in the US: ceremony, reception, attire, photography and flowers. Exclude engagement rings and honeymoons.
~12 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many coffee shops are there in the US?
Scope: Dedicated coffee shops (chains and independents). Exclude fast-food restaurants and gas stations.
~12 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionHow many subway rides are taken in New York City on a typical weekday?
Scope: Paid subway entries in NYC on an average weekday.
~12 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many tennis balls are sold in the US each year?
Scope: New tennis balls sold in the US per year, for any use.
~12 min · L.E.K.-style
Practice this questionHow many basketballs are sold in the US each year?
Scope: New basketballs sold in the US per year, all sizes.
~10 min · Accenture Strategy-style
Practice this questionHow many food-delivery app orders are placed in the US each day?
Scope: Restaurant delivery orders through apps such as DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub per day in the US.
~12 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionEstimate the annual US market for pickleball paddles.
Scope: Annual US retail sales of pickleball paddles, in dollars.
~12 min · L.E.K.-style
Practice this questionHow many people visit the four Walt Disney World theme parks on an average day?
Scope: Combined daily attendance of Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom.
~10 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many ATMs are there in the United States?
Scope: Bank-owned and independently owned ATMs in the US.
~12 min · Oliver Wyman-style
Practice this questionEstimate the annual revenue of the US car-wash industry.
Scope: Annual spend at professional car washes (tunnel, in-bay and hand wash) in the US.
~12 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many chickens are eaten in the US each year?
Scope: Broiler chickens raised for meat and consumed in the US per year.
~10 min · Deloitte-style
Practice this questionHow many college applications are submitted in the US each year?
Scope: Undergraduate applications to US colleges per admissions cycle, including transfer and international applicants.
~12 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this question
Final-round (hard)
How many hospital beds are there in the US?
Scope: Staffed beds in all US hospitals, including specialty hospitals.
~15 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionAt the busiest moment of a weekday, how many people are in the air on commercial flights over the US?
Scope: Passengers and crew aboard airborne commercial flights over the US at the daily peak.
~15 min · BCG-style
Practice this questionHow many credit card transactions happen in the US on an average day?
Scope: Credit card (not debit) purchase transactions in the US per day, in-store and online.
~15 min · Oliver Wyman-style
Practice this questionEstimate the annual revenue of the US self-storage industry.
Scope: Annual rental revenue of self-storage facilities in the US.
~15 min · Bain-style
Practice this questionHow many solar panels are installed in the US each year?
Scope: Solar modules (panels) installed per year in the US, all segments.
~15 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many new homes are built in Texas each year?
Scope: New housing units (single-family and apartments) completed in Texas per year.
~15 min · McKinsey-style
Practice this questionHow many gallons of house paint are sold in the US each year?
Scope: Architectural paint (interior and exterior, homes and commercial buildings) sold per year in the US.
~15 min · Kearney-style
Practice this question
Market sizing FAQ
What is a market sizing question?
A market sizing question (also called a guesstimate or estimation question) asks you to estimate a number you cannot look up, such as how many gas stations there are in the US. Interviewers use it to test structured thinking, reasonable assumptions and clean mental math, not trivia.
How do you answer a market sizing question?
Clarify the scope and units, choose a top-down or bottom-up structure, segment the key driver (for example by age group or usage), attach a number to every assumption, multiply through to one point estimate, and finish with a sanity check against something you already know.
Top-down or bottom-up: which is better?
Neither is always better. Top-down starts from a large known number (population, households) and narrows it; bottom-up builds from a unit (one store, one customer) and scales up. Strong candidates pick the one with the most reliable anchors and cross-check with the other when time allows.
Ready for full cases? See 50 case interview examples.